Napa Valley Cabernet Franc
 
Trespass Vineyard - St. Helena, CA

2005 Cabernet Franc
560 Cases

• Harvest Date - Oct 5, 2005
   
• Average Brix - 25.8
   
• Average pH - 3.5
   
• Aged 23 months in 50% new French Oak
   
• 100% Cabernet Franc - 40% AM / 60% PM
   
• Bottled unfiltered & unfined 8/29/07
   
• 13.8% Alcohol
   
• Release Date - Feb 22, 2008

Incredible purity of fruit!  A beautiful garnet color invites your nose to the glass to enjoy vanilla, cola, sweet cherry tobacco, dried currant, cinnamon and allspice aromatics.  I could go on...

New scents continually rose from the glass with the passing moments of this wine opening up.  The palate is ripe with a fine dusting of tannin supporting hard red candy, spots of minerality and dark chocolate.

This Franc shows elegance and balance not always associated with this somewhat difficult varietal.  All too often Cab Francs are dominated by green or under-ripe characteristics.  Trespass possesses a cleaner and riper version from its very shallow and gravely soils.  A terrior perfect for taming such a varietal to unleash its ripe, rice potential.

This wine should improve over the next two years and survive to 10 years or more.
 

2004 Cabernet Franc
320 Cases

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• Harvest Date - Sept 11, 2004
   
• Brix - 28.4
   
• pH - 3.74 / TA - 0.39
   
• Aged 22 months in 50% new French Oak
   
• 100% Cabernet Franc
   
• Bottled unfiltered & unfined 7/9/06
   
• 15.9% Alcohol
   
• pH - 3.77 / TA - 0.65
   
• Release Date - Apr 2007

The 2004 Trespass Cabernet Franc, like the ’03 Franc before it, there is not a trace of the typical green character that tarnishes so many Cab Francs.

Beneath its heroic purple / black cloak is a hedonistic black cherry aroma spiced with a small dusting of cinnamon stick, clove and barrel vanillin.  It is very blissful.

Chocolate dipped red cherries and plum fruit rule the entry on the palate.  The ripe fruit is backed by masculine but balanced tannins that surround the entirety of the mouth finishing like a fine Bordeaux.

This is a serious wine with a stoic presence from the moment it enters your mouth through to a minute past the swallow.  It should continue to improve for 5 years and continue to hold its ripe spirit for 6 to 10 years.
 

2003 Cabernet Franc
325 Cases

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• Harvest Date - Sept 24, 2003
   
• Aged 23 months in 50% new French Oak
   
• 92% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon & 4% Merlot
   
• 15.6% Alcohol
   
• Release Date - May 2006

The 2003 Trespass Cabernet Franc is a diamond in the ruff.  Unlike many of its peers, there is not a trace of vegginess of any kind.

Spellbindingly dark, this Franc begins with the warmth of toasted oak, black cherry-vanilla, slight hints of dried currants and plum.  The slightly dusty tannins surround thick layers of ripe red fruit with great success on the palate.  The cherry core of this wine includes with it a long, delicate finish.  The flavors are very mature and complex, reminiscent of old vines, even from this young vineyard.

Expect this wine to improve for 3 to 5 years and survive well to 8 to 12 years.
 

2002 Cabernet Franc
400 Cases

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• Harvest Date - Sept 19, 2002
   
• Aged 22 months in French Oak
   
• 93% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon & 2% Merlot
   
• 15.2% Alcohol
   
• Release Date - May 2005
   

The 2002 Trespass Cabernet Franc is a wine that drinks a lot like a Cabernet Sauvignon, with broad shoulders and great depth.

This wine has a beautiful medium dark ruby color with concentrated aromas of black cherry, dark current and boysenberry, accented by hints of tobacco, violets, dark earth and vanilla.  Full bodied and youthful on the palate, with a structure for aging and flavors that echo the nose; currents and black cherry, that culminates in a long concentrated finish.
 

2001 Cabernet Franc
210 Cases

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• Aged 22 months in French Oak
   
• 100% Cabernet Franc
   
• 14.1% Alcohol
   
• Release Date - Apr 2004

The 2001 Trespass Cabernet Franc follows in the footsteps of our outstanding 2000 vintage.  As our small St. Helena vineyard has matured, we have been able to increase our production of this wine to 210 cases.

When we planted our Cab Franc, it was with the intention that it might add a nice dimension to our Cabernet Sauvignon.  When winemaker Charles Hendricks said;  "This is a stand alone Cab Franc"...  We never looked back!

The wine was bottled after 22 months in French Oak barrels.  It has medium dark ruby color with rich, concentrated aromas of ripe cherries and plums accented by hints of violets, roses and vanilla.  Medium full bodied on the palate, with similar flavors of plum and dark cherry, balanced tannins and a long, rich dark chocolate finish.

This Cabernet Frac is very enjoyable now and it will improve with several years of aging in the bottle.